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To Err is Human

Xanadu Weyr - Clock TowerThe walls of the tower are the same dark gray stones that make up the outside of the tower. The central portion of the structure is open, so that one may stand in the center of the structure and see the top. Well…almost the top. A ceiling cuts off the view to whatever it is that's at the very top of the tower. Very little light comes in, just tiny beams of light from the arrow-slits in the walls. The floor is of dark hardwood slats, thin enough to have been worked easily but thick enough to provide protection from insects and wildlife that might be trying to get in.
A wooden staircase is built along wall, one that spirals up and up around the inner wall of the structure. It leads a workshop, where along every wall there are…clocks, of course! Clocks of just about every configuration one could think of, and quite a few that are outlandish enough to escape one's consideration at first. While most of these clocks are working, there are more than a few of them that aren't. The gentle ticking sounds fill the space, the clocks almost always perfectly in sync with each other — and with the ticking from the movement of the big clock above — and the sounds mingling together to form an ordered cacophony of sounds.
Clock parts are strewn across a table in one corner. There are a couple of cabinets with parts in them like the ones downstairs—parts that are significantly smaller than those on the first floor. These are obviously for the smaller clocks that are built here. There are no less than two large grandfather clocks in this workshop, both working.
A thick support threads through a large hole in the center of the floor, extending from below to above. A chain hangs beside it too, anchored high above, and the spiral staircase continues up, past a door on the outside and on to more storage space, dedicated to piles of crates with springs and "little" parts for the clocktower's main movement. Of course, the word "little" may not be the best way to describe it; some of these springs and levers are longer than a man's arm. And some of the gears in these crates a man could actually put his arm through the middle of easily.

It seems Esiae wasn't lying when she said one of her favorite pastimes was lurking on the clock tower's dragon ledge (though perhaps thankfully, she doesn't seem to actually be throwing rocks at the people below). Leaning her weight back on her hands, the goldrider seems to be enjoying the late evening sunshine instead, feet swaying rhythmically in the air over the edge of the ledge. Though there's easily space for two Sonyxaeths, the gold is absent - it's likely Esiae climbed the inner stairs and exited the small door to one side of the workshop.

Color D'had surprised to see anyone out on the ledge much less a certain weyrwoman (despite her earlier mention of it being a pastime). Its likely the door opening that would alert the woman to the presence of another even before the bluerider steps through it.

He's not the only one who's surprised. The opening of the door does indeed catch Esiae's attention, the noise accompanied by a guilty little jump. Hiding from someone, or something? Maybe. Apparently it's not D'had, though, for when the bluerider steps through the door Esi visibly relaxes, a crooked smile twitching up one corner of her mouth as she offers him a little wave. "Oh, hi! What're you doing here?" I mean… one could ask her the same thing, but… Shh.

D'had shrugs in reply once those few seconds of surprise have worn off and the door is pushed shut behind him. "Suppose its quiet," he elaborates, relatively speaking of course in the sense that while the sounds of the weyr are still there the people and dragons aren't so much. One could ask, and he does, "Could ask the same?"

"It is at that," Esiae agrees wholeheartedly, feet resuming their slow swinging as she pats the ledge near her, indicating he can sit if he so pleases. "Heh. Same. My sister's staying with me a while, and while I love her and her kids to death, the teenagers are fighting because one of them looked at the other wrong, and the baby's at that age where she's crying constantly, and it probably makes me a terrible person, but I just couldn't stand it anymore. Told 'em I had some paperwork to do and took off," she concludes, more than a little sheepish abou it.

D'had chuchkles lightly as he sinks down to sit beside her. If she's going to invite him to stay he will. "Heh," he all but agrees understands her troubles in that noise. "Can see where that'd drive ya up here." He's been through kids being around though perhaps not so much personal experience with teenagers. "A body just needs a break sometimes."

Esiae flicks a grin his way for that 'heh,' recognizing the empathy for what it is. "Yeah, it's… not great. I'll make it up to her somehow, I just needed… That, yes, exactly." A break! "Shells, ain't that just the damn truth," the goldrider adds with a quiet laugh, tilting her head back towards the sunshine. She's quiet for a long moment, perhaps thinking or simply enjoying the warmth before she aims another look over at the bluerider. "Been settling in okay, by the by? Realized I've chatted your ear off quite a bit, last couple of times we've run into one another - amongst other things - but I never asked." Then again, she was busy being rescued and being a dummy two of those time, so perhaps she can be forgiven!

D'had nods, "Yeah, well…" he says with another half shrug. That's something they can both understand and agree upon at least. As for how he's settling, that catches him a bit off guard if the expression that briefly flickers across his features is any indication. "Yeah," he settles on the simple, one word answer he's so good at, though there might just be a 'but' there for the observant to pick up on.

Esiae's brow knits ever so slightly for that quick flicker of expression, brown eyes flicking over his features for his simple response. That little hint at a 'but' in the air earns a gentle shoulder-to-shoulder nudge, if he'll have it, a concerned little smile tilting up one corner of her lips. "Wanna talk about it?," she asks, voice purposefully light to indicate she'd understand if he didn't.

D'had moves easily, though only slightly, at that should bump. "Lota memories round here," he offers after long pause, "Ain't all of 'em good." Which is perhaps to be expected, no one has nothing but good ones. "Made some mistakes," he adds after another pause. At least he can admit it now. Right?

Esiae takes advantage of that long pause to turn to face D'had, one leg still swaying over the edge, the other curling up in front of her. Though her gaze is still pleasant, her expression sobers somewhat, chin dipping in a series of slow little nods when he finally speaks. "Yeah. That can't be easy," she says sympathetically, peering at him for a long moment as though visibly weighing her words. Inevitably, as is her way, she speaks her mind. "As a very wise gold once told me, 'To err is human.' I know I don't know much about you or your circumstances asides from what I can piece together myself, but… for what it's worth, I think you're really brave, coming back."

A hint of a smile quirk's D'had's lips for those words of wisdom. "Yeah, she'd say that," he comments knowing well enough of who she speaks, or thinking he does anyway. "Thanks.." And then quiet, looking out at the view. … "My youngest girl," he offers a little more insight, "she's down at that flowershop," as if that clarifies everything. Then again she'd likely know who he's talking about being she worked so closely with the girl's mother for a time. "Made it pretty clear she don't really want me around." There he said it. Not that he can blame the girl from the sound of his voice when he does, but still a thought that wears on him. A shrug follows as he looks back to the woman beside him. "But you don't wanna hear bout all that."

Esiae doesn't reply immediately, but her lips quirk up in a little smile, too, nodding quietly to affirm he knows which gold she's talking about. At his words, her eyes follow his down towards the boutique, her own features gentling into something sad. His tone of voice sets her lips to pursing, something defensive flaring in her eyes, but she hears him out before replying. "Think she'll come around given time?," she asks, if only out of a sort of hope on his behalf. Her gaze meets his when he looks back her way, the goldrider's head tilting to one side ever so slightly. "I wouldn't've asked if I didn't want to listen, silly. Go on, what happened?"

D'had shrugs once more. Not really much more to say on that it would seem. "Hard to say," but he's hoping that as she said, given time the girl will. What happened? That's a harder thing to explain in many ways even if it could be shortened to a relatively easy answer. "Me and their ma had a falling out," so to speak, "wasn't there like I shoulda been."

Esiae 'hmm's quietly in her throat, but seems to accept that answer. It can't be easy, after all, reconciling with family, especially when they don't particularly want to be reconciled with. "I hope so, then. Maybe she just needs a chance to internalize or something," the woman says with a helpless shrug. Thea she knew - her children, not so much, except maybe by sight. She can't pretend to know any of their minds. "Have you seen the others?," Esi asks gently, almost afraid to ask, given how Marel's reception went. She does, however, give D'had a sympathetic look for that, lips twitching off to one side. "I see. Falling outs, those are… always difficult," she says, voice heavy as though she knows, and maybe she does. Several other questions come and go, but they're all discarded in favor of reaching out a hand to lightly touch his shoulder, just a gentle squeeze before she makes to withdraw again. "But you're here now. That counts for something, right?"

D'had nods, "Yeah," the word said in the breath of a sigh - loss and hope all at once. "They seem to want to try," he goes on. He's not sure how it will turn out when all is said and done, when he's tried to explain what they want to know, but its something. "Yeah," he says again perhaps a little more confidence in the idea as she seems to understand. It must count for something. "Should leave you to your hiding," he adds a moment later a hint of amusement finding its way to his voice as he pushes to his feet.

Lips twitch to one side for that initial 'yeah,' and even though she nods encouragingly for the fact that the others want to try, her gaze remains a little sad and compassionate. "Good," she says because it is, as well as, "Maybe that will help, too." With him? With Marel? Maybe both. It's only with that second, more confident 'yeah' that her somber expression clears, eyes scrunching up with a little smile. "Takes a lot of effort to try, more than some people will ever give you credit for," she adds on to the thought that what he's doing counts, nodding again when he stands. "Heh, yeah. Figure I've got another hour of daylight. Might as well enjoy it. Feel free to interrupt my hiding anytime, though. I've always got time," she says as though she means it, one hand lifting to give him a wave farewell.